Delco shore house owners wait to exhale after wrath of Sandy

This aerial photo shows a collapsed house along the central Jersey Shore coast on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. New Jersey got the brunt of Sandy, which made landfall in the state and killed six people. More than 2 million customers were without power as of Wednesday afternoon, down from a peak of 2.7 million. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

There's no doubt many Delaware County families have created a lifetime of memories by spending vacations and holidays at their houses on the Jersey Shore.

And while those memories can never be wiped away, there is some doubt as to the condition of those houses after Hurricane Sandy came ashore Monday with its high winds, high water, debris, sand and whatever else was in its path.

"We are just prepared for the worst and hope it's not that bad," said Joe O'Hara, who has a house in Sea Isle City. "The houses can be fixed. What we do know, out of Sea Isle, is there were no reported injuries. My family is all safe and everyone I know is safe. That's more important than what may have happened to a house."

There have been other hurricanes and tropical storms land on the Jersey Shore over the years, but none in recent memory that had the impact of Sandy.

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"We've never had concerns before, even in other hurricanes,'' said Carol O'Connell, a Wallingford resident who, with her husband, has a house in North Wildwood. "Well, we've had concerns, but never anything like this. The outcome has always been perfect for us."

Having a house at the shore in Ocean City has been a near perfect arrangement for Marie Stephens and her family in recent years. While they spend a couple of weeks and some holidays there, they also rent it out for extra income and to pay for taxes and utility bills there.

"It's like a second home for us," she said. "We take a week for ourselves and Memorial Day weekend and we just spent Columbus Day weekend there."

O'Hara, O'Connell and Stephens admit they are a bit anxious to see how their houses survived the storm. They hope they will be allowed to see them sometime Friday. It was announced late Wednesday afternoon that residents could return to Sea Isle City and North Wildwood.

"There is probably some water damage, we just don't know how much," said O'Hara, whose property is about half a block from the bay on Townsend Inlet. "If it's less than 2½ or 3 feet, it's probably not in the house. The outside sheds will probably be destroyed, but that's the best we know at this point."

O'Hara has hope because the house sits on the high end of the narrow beach island.

"It has not flooded since the 1960s," he said. "But there is indication that the ocean met the bay."

Stephens, of Bethel, said photos have indicated her house could be surrounded by sand. She is at least prepared for that after buying a shovel to move sand earlier this week.

"From what we've seen, there is sand everywhere," Stephens said. "I would assume we would need to get the sand out by the curb. My plan is to put it on the street and see if they will take it."

The Stephens' rent their place for much of the summer, so Marie Stephens knows there will likely be some work needed to get the house in order. Potential renters come and view it during the winter months.

"This is the first time I'm glad we're not a beach front or a bay front," Stephens said. "It's going to be costly up front. I don't know if it's going to smell like mold because of standing water or not. We have to make sure we get everything back up to speed and make sure it shows well over the winter."

The O'Connells, who bought a house in North Wildwood in 1982, have hope they won't be dealing with any significant damage. Carol O'Connell said her son's house on 11th Street had no issues, including in the garage on the bottom floor.

"I saw film of the center of town and that didn't look so great," O'Connell said. "But that was the center of town and that's probably 35 blocks from where I live. From what I understand, from when we first purchased it, we were on the highest part of the island."

While dealing with hurricane or storm damage is certainly the low point of having a shore house, the highest part is having a place to spend time with family during summer months.

"We've raised our children, and now our grandchildren there, it's been a family tradition," O'Connell said. "Our children worked there in high school and college and some of our grandchildren have, too.

"That's where we all meet. Everybody takes vacations there and we meet at the shore in July for two weeks every summer. It's almost mandatory in the family."

Stephens has daughters ranging in ages 8 to 14, so her family is in the midst of creating those memories.

"We wouldn't buy anywhere else," she said. "We had always rented, but we purchased there because that's where the kids like to go. Even in tough times, the value hasn't gone up, but it hasn't gone down either."

And it's also hard to put a value on some of the natural wonders that come with spending time at the shore.

"There's a scenic bulkhead, park benches and planters where we are at and people come by and watch the sunsets there," O'Hara said. "I think it's the prettiest spot on the entire island."